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Sunday, September 17, 2017

#1897: Stephen Linsteadt

Ascalar wave is an alleged type of electromagnetic wave that works outside of physics as we
know it and can thus be used to prop up all sorts of New Age woo. As a
scientific concept it was discarded in the 19th century, but insofar
as everything that has happened in science since then is a conspiracy, the idea
is still championed by infamous cranks like Thomas Bearden to handwave some woolly justifications for thinking that stuff they’d like to
be true is, in fact, true. (It isn’t.).

Scalar waves seem to have been mainstreamed
among proponents of New Age woo around 2005, with the publication of The Heart of Health; the Principles of
Physical Health and Vitality by Stephen Linsteadt, ND,
according to whom “[s]calar waves can be
created by wrapping electrical wires around a figure eight in the shape of a
Möbius coil. When an electric current flows through the wires in opposite
directions, the opposing electromagnetic fields from the two wires cancel each
other and create a scalar wave. The DNA antenna in our cells' energy production
centers (mitochondria) assumes the shape of what is called a super-coil.
Supercoil DNA look like a series of Möbius coils. These Möbius supercoil DNA
are hypothetically able to generate scalar waves. Most cells in the body
contain thousands of these Möbius supercoils, which are generating scalar waves
throughout the cell and throughout the body.” This is not correct by any
stretch of the imagination. But from observations like this Linsteadt and his followers can use scalar waves to “explain” homeopathy,
achieve lymph detoxification,
and cure a variety of ailments, including diabetes, short sightedness, kidney
stones, Parkinson's, strokes, arthritis (a rave and barely coherent overview by
one Victor Marcial-Vega – “recognized as
being in the top one percent of medical doctors in the U.S.” by some
strangely unnamed entity – here)
and, of course, cancer – as well as reverse the aging process. Heck, scalar waves are even part of the
power of ORMUS.

And quantum woo is predictably just around the corner. Indeed, Linsteadt is a quantum naturopath, no less.According to
Linsteadt “[t]he quantum level possesses
the highest level of coherence within the human organism. Sick individuals with
weak immune systems or cancer have poor and chaotic coherence with disturbed
biophoton cellular communication. Therefore, disease can be seen as the result
of disturbances on the cellular level that act to distort the cell’s quantum
perspective. This causes electrons to become misplaced in protein molecules and
metabolic processes become derailed as a result. Once cellular metabolism is
compromised the cell becomes isolated from the regulated process of natural
growth control.” The Random Deepak Chopra Quote Generator couldn’t have
put it better. And no, this is not how this works. This is not remotely related
to how any of this works. Though the sheer delusional insanity of the
religiously charged technobabble dropping from Linsteadt’s pen is in its own
way pretty impressive: “The quantum
naturopath recognizes that quantum coherence provides the fundamental resonance
communication system of the body. All quantum naturopathic therapies must,
therefore, be aimed at re-establishing cellular resonance. Quantum naturopaths
are experts in bio-energetic nutrition with an emphasis on providing adequate
defenses for free radical damage and re-establishing the body’s bio-electric
communication system by detoxifying the connective tissue matrix.” You can read more about quantum
medicine here.

Diagnosis: Delusional, maniacal religious
extremist, really, whose pseudoscientific rants rather strikingly resemble the
ravings of a self-declared prophet with a seizure (good examples exist) if
these were adjusted for grammar – Linsteadt’s sentences are mostly grammatical even
though they usually don’t mean anything. His influence is probably limited, but
good grief.